The average paint prepper salary is $41,414. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an automotive technology major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a paint prepper. Paint preppers with a Master Collision Repair & Refinishing Technician certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 7,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Paint Prepper Do

There are certain skills that many paint preppers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer-service skills, detail oriented and dexterity.

How To Become a Paint Prepper

If you're interested in becoming a paint prepper, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 2.2% of paint preppers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.6% of paint preppers have master's degrees. Even though some paint preppers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Paint Prepper

Paint Prepper Career Paths

Average Salary for a Paint Prepper

Paint Preppers in America make an average salary of $41,414 per year or $20 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $58,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $29,000 per year.
Average Paint Prepper Salary
$41,414 Yearly
$19.91 hourly

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Roles and Types of Paint Prepper

The role of a paint prepper includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general paint prepper responsibilities:

  • Wash vehicles to remove dirt, oil, grease
  • Wash, clean, and wipe down vehicles to be painted remove
  • Operates and uses all body shop equipment properly

There are several types of paint prepper, including:

Auto Body Technician

Role:

Auto body technicians are everyone's heroes when it comes to cars. From vehicle bodies and frames, to windshields and window glass, they've got you covered. They can restore, refinish and even replace it all.

These technicians often work in body shops, which can get loud. So you might want to bring some earplugs to work, unless you want to go home feeling like you were just at a concert. The main requirement for becoming an auto body technician is completing a training program in automotive body or glass repair. Once you've completed that, the rest will come naturally.

  • Average Salary: $39,232
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Paint Technician

Role:

A paint technician has expert knowledge of various paint and varnish coatings, as well as the equipment, tools, and application methods used on the job. They're most often involved in the auto industry, where you'll get the opportunity to paint, recover, or even redesign the body paint of a number of different vehicle models.

Modern health and safety regulations ensure that paint technicians are not exposed to dangerous and toxic chemicals on the job. Going into this job, you'll need to understand and abide by the safety details for handling paint and painting equipment. However, not only is this provided in your certification course, but your company will most likely provide you with further health information to ensure your safety.

Many paint technicians start out with at most a high school diploma. While it's preferred to have a technical certification, on-the-job trade experience, or an apprenticeship can be just as good for your resume. On average, a paint technician can earn between $19-$27 an hour.

  • Average Salary: $37,602
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Body Technician

Role:

Body technicians work in auto repair shops and fix damaged bodies of vehicles. They check parts, order and replace faulty components, hammer out dents, and prepare other repair work as necessary.

You will work under the supervision of a manager and report to him or her if there are additional repairs needed or if scheduled repair times need extensions to deliver quality service. It will be your job to maintain your tools and working environment safe and functional and respect safety regulations at all times.

You can get to work with a GED or high school diploma. Getting vocational training in auto mechanics will help a great deal, as experience is often required. There are also certifications out there, which you can acquire to prove your skills and boost your chances of getting hired.

  • Average Salary: $39,798
  • Degree: High School Diploma

States With The Most Paint Prepper Jobs

Number Of Paint Prepper Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1Texas71$39,803
2California41$43,621
3Pennsylvania31$44,910
4North Carolina31$41,679
5Florida28$43,313
6Arizona26$42,965
7Ohio23$36,791
8Georgia22$49,685
9Illinois21$52,134
10Indiana21$33,802
11Virginia19$49,419
12Maryland16$39,459
13Michigan14$46,249
14Utah13$42,871
15Minnesota13$43,207
16Oregon13$39,220
17Tennessee13$37,864
18Colorado13$39,417
19Iowa12$43,149
20Washington10$50,773
21New York10$46,657
22Oklahoma9$36,758
23South Carolina8$37,635
24Wisconsin8$35,676
25New Jersey6$50,303
26Missouri6$39,139
27Arkansas6$36,057
28Rhode Island5$51,806
29North Dakota5$42,389
30Massachusetts5$49,662
31Kentucky5$40,628
32Alabama5$40,715
33Delaware4$49,512
34South Dakota4$37,373
35Montana4$38,411
36Connecticut3$52,243
37Idaho3$47,785
38Nebraska3$41,217
39Kansas3$39,020
40West Virginia2$43,789
41Nevada2$45,799
42Wyoming2$40,317
43Mississippi2$39,843
44Louisiana2$37,367
45New Hampshire1$52,189
46Alaska1$51,772
47New Mexico1$37,400
48Maine0$55,602
49Vermont0$47,960
50Hawaii0$47,168

Paint Prepper Education

Paint Prepper Majors

Paint Prepper Degrees

High School Diploma

50.0 %

Associate

20.6 %

Diploma

13.3 %

Top Skills For a Paint Prepper

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 19.9% of paint preppers listed body shop on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and detail oriented are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Paint Prepper Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Paint Prepper templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Paint Prepper resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Paint Prepper diversity

Paint Prepper Gender Distribution

Male
Male
92%
Female
Female
9%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among paint preppers, 8.5% of them are women, while 91.5% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among paint preppers is White, which makes up 64.0% of all paint preppers.

  • The most common foreign language among paint preppers is Spanish at 71.4%.

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Top Paint Prepper Employers

Most Common Employers For Paint Prepper

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Daimler Trucks North America$53,963$25.942
2Knapheide$53,291$25.624
3OPEX$51,554$24.794
4Sterling Autobody$42,639$20.503
5Gerber NCS$42,390$20.3812
6Cooks Collision$41,840$20.122
7Kelly Services$40,947$19.693
8LeadingEdgeAviation$40,468$19.466
9International Aerospace Coatings$40,465$19.454
10Robinson Helicopter$40,129$19.293

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